Halo Legends UKReview

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Animated spin-off will prove essential viewing for Halo fans.

By Orlando Parfitt

On the surface, the melding of Halo's solemn, uber-serious vibe and the brash, stylized sensibility of much Japanese anime seemed like a slightly bizarre way for Microsoft to expand its iconic game franchise out into other mediums.

However Halo Legends proves a successful - if uneven - attempt to fuse these two universes, and will certainly prove essential viewing for those with more than a passing interest in Bungie's seminal shooters.

First shown on Xbox Live last year, Legends is a collection of eight animated short films created by various Japanese animation houses and set at various times in the Halo-verse. The subjects covered include the relationship between ODST troopers and Spartans ('The Babysitter'); the warrior culture of the Elites ('The Duel'); the origins of the Spartans ('Homecoming') and - in the two hugely ambitious segments of 'Origins' - the entire history of the Halo universe.

There's also 'Prototype', which focuses on an experimental new type of super-powered Spartan armour; 'The Package' - a CG adventure that sees Master Chief take on a covenant spaceship, and the most bizarre instalment - aptly called 'Odd One Out' - which is a non-canon, Dragon Ball Z-style comedy.

Click the image above to see a scene from Halo Legends.

It's an eclectic mix of tone, subject matter and animation styles, with some segments working better than others. On a purely visual level, Production I.G.'s 'The Duel' stands out head and shoulders above the rest for its painterly depiction of medieval-style Elite culture that is unlike any other animation you would have seen.

When it comes to storytelling however, the second part of 'Origins' is perhaps the most impressive, managing to condense the labyrinthine Halo mythology into an entertaining and visually stunning 15 minutes. Studio 4 C also worked on the similar 'The Second Renaissance' feature in The Animatrix - and bring a similar level of narrative dexterity to this story.

Unfortunately the scripts for some of the other instalments are not as strong, with 'The Babysitter' and 'Homecoming' examples of intriguing stories that are badly served by mundane dialogue and a lack of space in the quarter of an hour-ish running time. Microsoft - obviously protective of their franchise - were heavily involved in all the scripts, which perhaps explains for the lack of creative risks taken with many of the films.

'The Duel' is the most visually stunning segment.

One story where this isn't the case however is 'Odd One Out' - a barmy and frequently hilarious slice of nonsense from the Toei animation company - famous for their work on Dragon Ball Z. It's the only instalment of Legends that is non-canon, and features a clumsy Spartan marooned on a strange, pre-historic planet who at one point is eaten by a dinosaur. The Halo universe is usually so po-faced and humourless, so to see some laughter and fun injected into the place is incredibly refreshing.

A couple of the scenes in Legends are also begging to be converted into videogame form. The first is the beginning of 'The Package', with Master Chief and a team of fellow Spartans whizzing through an intense space battle and attacking a huge Covenant mothership. Recalling the opening of Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith, it's a sequence that would be fantastic way to open a Halo game. Similarly, the finale of 'Prototype' - which features an ODST trooper donning super-powered armour and destroying legion-upon-legion of Covenant with a variety of souped-up weapons - is a pulsating sequence that's crying out to be made interactive.

Extras and Special Features

Halo Legends will be on sale in three different packages on February 16. There's the standard DVD with all eight episodes; a two-disc special edition that includes audio commentaries, extensive making-of videos on each instalment and a feature on the growth of the Halo franchise; and a Blu-ray edition with a helpful overview of the Halo story. Of all the extras, the behind-the-scenes docs are perhaps the most interesting, giving a comprehensive insight into the lengthy development process behind each animation. Regular IGN readers might also notice IGN US bigwig Hilary Goldstein popping up in the special features.